Vermont javelin competitor, Alverta Perkins LET THE GAMES BEGIN (- CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 worldwide GLBT athletics network, and the Outgames. But for most LGBT Vermont- ers who want to compete, the choice comes down to logistics, not politics. Alverta Perkins de- cided to go to Montreal because it’s close in terms of driving and because a few of her friends were going as observers. (The distance from Burlington to Mon- treal is 96 miles; to Chicago, it’s 915 miles.) “I said the heck with Chicago, Montreal is a lot closer,” said Perkins, 81. She plans to compete in the javelin, discus and shot-put events. Although she is a veteran of the Vermont Games and the Senior Olympics, Perkins doesn’t approach sports with a killer attitude. “I don’t have that firetin my belly for competition,” she said. “I like meeting other people. At the Senior Olympics, the people are very supportive. " Since fracturing her tibia while doing the long jump last December, Perkins has re-structured her work- outs, gearing them more toward other track and field events. “I go to an exercise class three times a week at UVM,” she explained. “And I work out in the pool twice a week. Sometimes I don’t feel like going but I make myself. I just do it and it feels great.” Fran Moravcsik, 71, plans to compete in the same three track and field events, but at the Gay Games in Chicago instead. “I heard Mo ntreal was splitting from the Gay Games and that was iwcclroom liii‘ii}li(ill$&C PHOTO: GREG THOMPSON kind of a negative for me,” she said. “Besides, my daughter lives in the Chicago area. l’ll visit her when I'm there but l’ll be staying with a friend who‘s also going to the Games.” Moravcsik said she trains with a coach at UVM. “He tells me what to do, what to eat, how to do things safely,” she explained. She said she started jogging to reduce stress and eventually got into track and field. “I’d be driving around and I was so emotional. I went to the track to get rid of my frustration.” For Joan Gardner, 49, attend- ing the Gay Games in Chicago presents a thrilling opportunity to share the limelight with 17 female powerlifters. “That's amazing,” said Gardner. “Usually there’s just one or two women powerlifters at a competition.” MAY 2006 l out in the mountains is July so -‘August 5. 2005 1st World Outgemes (Montreal) i ‘ _ *\\\\\\\\\\\\\\*\ ‘ \\ \\\\\* \~\ Oniine: http:l/www.rnontreal2006.org Number of Sports: 35 Registration fee: $282 U.S. dollars (includes oiieevent) Late registration deadline: July 1 Confirmed participants: 12.000 Participant goal: 16,000 Visitor goal: 250,000 ‘ Countries participating so far: 109 \ Projected windfall for city: $150 million Major sponsors: Air Canada. Labatt beer, 3 levels of govt. Affiliated events: Human Rights Conference (July 26-29); Divers/Cite LGBT pride Festival (July 30-Aug. 6) Next Outgarnes: 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark Gay Games Vii (Chicago) July 15-July 22. 2006 Online: http://wvvwfgaygemeschicago.org Number of Sports: 30 Registration Fee: $195 (plus $35 to $75 per event) Late registration deadline: July 1 Confirmed participants: 10,620 Participant goal: 12,000 Visitor goal: 100,000 Countries participating so far: 47 Projected windfall for city: up to $114 million Major sponsors: American Airlines, Planet-Out, Walgreen: Affiliated events: Gaylixpo (July 14-17); Arts Festival (July 14~23) But is the competition be- tween Montreal and Chicago good for the long-term fitness of the gay sports movement‘? ‘‘It’s a real dilemma for many ai.hlei.es, ” said Pascal Dessureault, a spokesperson for the Outgarnes. Kevin Boyer, Co-Vice Chair of the Board of Gay Games VII, agreed. “It's not good to have both at the same time,” Boyer said, adding that even if both events are success- ful there will still be a desire to bring the pinnacle of GLBT sports back under one roof. “There’s great value to having a global, unified event,” he said. Boyer said the split poses many organizational difficul- ties for gay athletic groups. Many have traditionally had . annual championships except ‘c \ Tins ll0l'i‘i£.‘ l1 ' 21 hriglzi living i'0(.}ili, rcrmv. ed ilimon ’ and , ‘I an open i_ , nai1ii'ciii::l{iSC‘ii1Clil zmd two car g !i‘£i;_£t‘.‘. All on iwo acres oi‘ land. 5524 1 .<)<."><2 V 02.65S.3335 0 www.Ti--i E D SAUTl';i.SG ROU RCOM S; ’ I Gi'414.,’)i.li'* KNOW WHAT HOME Next Gay Gaines: 2;010.in §Zologne,.Germany in Gay Games years. Now they must contend with 200.‘) and 2010, when the next ( lulgainez-i and Gay Carries will be held. “I'm sure both oi’ tlils sum- nu-r’s ovr-nl,s will be .-riicr-r-/-1.-al‘irl, " said author Patricia Noll War- ren. “Hui, al'i.crwar(l, tlii-.ro will be some hard choices i.o make about the future." Warrcn’s groundbreaking 1974 book 7'Im I"’r'(;'ri./,1'u.'ri/r1,c'r dcpici.o(l a love story betwt-.cn an ex—marinc track coach and an Olympic athlete. Roccntl_y, she has lwen writing about famous gay and lesbian atlilcics through the ages, including Achilles and Joan oi'Arc. The series is posted on Outsports.com and War- ren said she hopes to publish the series as a book. She said gay athletics inherently lias “an extra degree of drama." But she wondered why the various parties involved with the Gay Games and (lutgames can’t resolve their (lil'l"cr- ences. “imagine if there were two ()lympics‘?" she asked. if the Olympics can figure out how to handle steroids and gender testing, she said, gay athletics groups should be able to come together as well. V Max Harrold is a journalist who lives inMontreal. He is a part- time reporter for The Gazette, Montreal's English-language daily newspaper, and a script— writer for How It's Made, a TV show airing on the Discovery Channel. Max was a swimmer at the Gay Games in '94 and '98. He hopes to convince his life partner, OITM Operations Manager Greg Thompson, to participate with him at the Outgames this summer.